Testimonials

After a first traumatic birth in hospital without doula support, we decided to reach out to Anne and she has been our doula for our second and third babies. Both had very different birth stories and these experiences have made my husband and I big advocates for doulas!

Our second was born peacefully and quickly at home with midwives – a wonderful healing birth which Anne helped us fight for. Her wisdom through pregnancy and calm presence during labour was so reassuring.

Last year, I contacted Anne again to make sure she was available to be our doula again for baby number 3. We were planning another home birth but unfortunately I developed rare blood antibodies which led to a decision to induce labour early and birth in hospital. This was going to make having the support of a doula even more valuable for us.

I was really unsettled by the lack of continuity of care in hospital. We were bumped around between midwives and consultants during pregnancy and I was upset that I would likely have complete strangers looking after me and baby during birth.

Anne helped me feel so much better about this as, even though midwives and doctors changed shifts, she was by my side through the entire labour. Whilst the medical staff focused on taking notes and adjusting the monitors and machines, she was focused on supporting me and my husband.

I remember Anne telling me that I could say ‘stop’ at any time and that was so reassuring. She set up lights and made the room cozy for us, which made being in a hospital room feel so much less threatening and austere. When I declined a suggested intervention, she was there to back me up and make me feel that I could say no and be respected. This was so important to me as I feel so vulnerable in labour!

After our home birth, I thought that doula care was a nice little extra. But after a much better experience giving birth in the hospital where I previously had such a difficult time, I’m convinced that a doula makes all the difference and that every woman should have access to doula care. Anne helped to make a stressful early induction into a birth I can remember with peace and joy.

I had an amazing experience with Anne from start to finish. I would not go through birth without a doula in future. From educational support before birth (going through all the details you miss in the NHS zoom calls, taking questions, helping to create a birth plan), to practical support during birth (from ensuring I was hydrated to advocating for my choices with midwives when I was unable to speak), to emotional support before, during and after birth, Anne went above and beyond what we expected- she is very passionate and extremely knowledgeable about all things birth. I feel that the lack of information pregnant women are given actually limits our autonomy and choice during our birthing experience and can often lead to outcomes we don’t want. Working with a doula is one lever to ensure you are fully equipped with all the information you need to feel ready for birth- and that you have someone with you to advocate for the choices you have made and a familiar face to support you and your partner. Anne provides the service she describes but there are so many extra things she does to make things easier and more pleasant for you, for example, bringing us food and snacks in those first daunting weeks with a new baby, bringing little toys for our baby and never forgetting the new mum with bath herbs and special teas. We absolutely loved working with Anne and have strongly recommended her and doula services in general to all our friends. My husband said the two things we would never do without during birth are a doula and a TENS machine! Thank you Anne, we will never forget how you helped us, you really became a part of the family.

I can’t recommend Anne enough for her ongoing help and support throughout my pregnancy and during the birth of my baby. Anne kept me informed about my birth options and was always on hand to answer any of my questions. She was a great advocate for me throughout the whole process and she really helped make my birth a calm and peaceful experience. She is such a lovely, warm person and I will be forever grateful for her. 

Anne was my Doula and hypnobirthing teacher for my first pregnancy and she was an absolute god-send. She is the most calming, patient, knowledgeable and grounding person, and is just an incredible advocate for women and their birth preferences. She made me feel really empowered and safe during what was a very overwhelming time. I’m so glad I had her with me every step of the way. My time with her prepared me for the birthing experience and gave me great tools to deal with its many twists and turns. She was there with me every moment during my very long birth experience, and there are many moments I don’t think I could have coped without her calm guidance, care and advocacy. She made sure my wants and needs were heard and adhered to when I felt at my weakest. An amazing woman with incredible knowledge and experience – I couldn’t recommend Anne enough.

Anne was very friendly, open and down to earth, and easy to talk to. Anne was organised and very knowledgeable, bringing information to me as discussed. Anne was supportive to my situation and open to changes.

All the stars – everything her title says and more

When I started my research on finding a doula in Northern Ireland I came upon Anne’s profile after scanning all the others and immediately knew she was who I wanted just by smiling on seeing her picture and feeling warmth in reading her bio. She was quick to respond to my long distance query as I had not moved there yet and we stayed in touch through the process until it was third trimester and my partner and I were ready to meet and see if it was a good fit.

After the meeting, my partner said, “I think it would be hard to find anyone better suited for us.” And then he suggested that we do the full doula package and hypnobirthing.

Anne’s motherly presence in every way was consistent through every aspect of our interactions. She is highly knowledgeable on all things birthing and incredibly supportive of the natural and intuitive ways that we choose to live by. Through the hypnobirthing course it was most beneficial for us to separate time together, relax and allow for the seeds of knowledge to implant. Once the birthing process started I could see and feel exactly what Anne taught us and when she was present her words and reminders were exactly what I needed.

I could write a story on its own all about our relationship and how valuable Anne has become to our little family. And will just finalize by saying, she is the best addition to our lives through this and we are just so grateful that she was available and wanting to be our doula.

I had my first baby in the height of lockdowns and felt my birth wishes were steamrolled. When I found out I was pregnant again I knew this time I needed a doula and thankfully found Anne. As soon as my husband and I met her we knew we needed her on our team. We decided we would also do hypnobirthing through Anne and the skills I learned in that course were unbelievably beneficial. Anne not only supported me during labour, but she was a godsend during my entire pregnancy which went on 18 days past my estimated due date. Unfortunately my husband was unable to attend the birth of our baby due to him being with our toddler, but I had Anne and her bag of magic by my side and felt so supported. Again in the hospital there were bumps and some who tried to dismiss my wishes. When this happened Anne would swoop in as an amazing advocate. Because of Anne I ended up having a beautiful unmedicated water birth to my 9 pound 11 ounce baby. If it wasn’t for Anne I would have likely ended up in theatre with a section. My husband and I both have said multiple times that Anne will be one of the first people we call if we decide to have a third baby.

I am a 41 year old first time mother and gave birth to my baby in Belfast, which is not my home city. My mother was my birth partner and I chose Anne as my Doula as my baby would be the sixtieth birth that she had attended and she had had three children herself so I knew I would benefit from her experience in something I was experiencing for the first time.

I first chatted to Anne by phone to discuss how I hoped my birth would be and the support that I would like to receive from her.  Anne then sent me lots of materials, including sample birth preferences and information on hypnobirthing.  These were very useful in helping me to think about the different aspects of birth and to consider decisions that I might have to make before and during the birth and to prepare my mind for a calm birth.

I met Anne twice before the birth – and she helped me prepare further for example by teaching me about the physical processes of a normal birth and hypnobirthing techniques. Anne adapted these sessions to fit my needs and to supplement what I had learned at other antenatal classes.  She also gave me practical help – even taking me to the hospital during my first session when I was worried about my baby’s movements and printing my birth preferences as I didn’t have a printer. 

On the night I gave birth Anne took me to the hospital at 2am and she was so calm and professional and worked confidently and respectfully alongside the hospital staff and my mother. This made me feel that I had a united and expert team looking after and supporting me.  When needed Anne gave me gentle prompts and reminders of the breathing techniques which helped me through contractions and she supported me when I needed to make urgent decisions about deviations from my birth plan. She was encouraging and calm throughout. As a result, although many aspects of my birth did not go in accordance with my plan, with hindsight I would not have changed anything, even if I had more time to make my decisions. 

My beautiful baby boy arrived at 4.41am and Anne stayed with us while he did the breast crawl to reach my breast and have his first feed and until we had feeding established. 

A few days later Anne visited again so I could chat about the birth and we could share the lovely ‘groaning cake’ that she had brought – just one of the lovely personal touches that make Anne a wonderful doula, particularly for a first time mother.

The worst thing about using a doula for the birth of my second child was that I was cross with myself for not doing it the first time around. During and following the birth of my first son I felt lost; decisions  were made that I later regretted. I felt swept along by health service protocols and didn’t get anything the way I wanted it. The second time, with Anne was amazing. And it wasn’t because I was more confident the second time around. If anything I was more wound up because the first time had been so dreadful.

Anne empowered me and helped me to think logically and clearly. She was sensitive to my fears and my emotions; her wisdom helped me navigate those. She gave the right information at the right time and always in a balanced way. She helped me understand more thoroughly what the medics were telling me but also provided additional evidence-based information. Every time I felt overwhelmed her input helped me calm myself and ensure that I always felt well informed.

I had experienced five miscarriages before my second successful pregnancy. Prior to meeting Anne I was nervous about even being pregnant never mind going through labour again. She transformed the experience. I had a breezy easy pregnancy and felt that the decisions made during and following labour were mine. It was such a worthwhile investment. Having those positive pregnancy and labour experiences this time around helped me put the negative experiences of the first time to bed, but I also think that they helped me be a better and happier mother right from the start.

Anne is professional and highly competent, but more importantly she just slots in. Easy to be with. Fun. Considerate. And her presence meant my husband could focus on my other son which was crucially important to us. The only negative is that we missed her when it was all done.

This was my fourth baby, my second VBAC and the first one to have a doula, and Anne was exactly what I was looking for.  I wanted a natural birth – as natural as I could get, as I had to have my baby in the hospital.  We were very comfortable with Anne from the first time we met.  She gave us alot of information that we didn’t know; about my rights, and natural ways to deliver, and cope with labour.

While in labour, Anne just said and did everything I needed her to do.  I had the quick natural drug-free birth that I wanted.  We would highly recommend Anne to anyone who was considering employing a doula.